1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally directed to brushes for cleaning implements and more specifically to brushes which are specifically configured to clean safety razors. The bristles are selectively secured to the wall of a shower or bathtub enclosure which include a plurality of bristle elements having free ends which form a generally continuous wiping surface which in the preferred embodiment, tapers downwardly and outwardly at an acute angle with respect to a horizontal plane so as to be oriented in a position such that when the face of the razor head is applied flush against the wiping surface the bristles will be substantially parallel to the blade or blades of the razor so that the bristle elements will pass adjacent to the blade to thereby effectively remove hair cuttings and other material from adjacent the cutting blades when the razor is moved in a natural side-to-side motion. The brushes of the present invention also provide supports for suspending conventional safety razors therefrom when the razors are not in use to thereby insure that the razors are retained in a convenient and safe location when not in use.
2. History of the Related Art
In applicant's prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/240,474 filed Sept. 6, 1988, a brush for mounting in a sink, basin and/or bathtub is disclosed which provides for a specific orientation of the brush bristles with respect to the water flowing from a faucet so as to facilitate the cleaning of hair, soap, cream, and skin particles from between the blades of a conventional safety razor. The concept behind such a brush is that the brush is mounted to a sink or tub in spaced relationship with respect to the faucet so that the bristle elements will extend in a direction such that the free ends thereof will define a generally continuous wiping surface which will permit a person utilizing the brushes to naturally position the blades of a conventional safety or disposable razor against the bristles in a parallel orientation to the elongated axis of the bristles. In this manner, the bristles may effectively pass between the razor blade or blades and the blade support head of the razor so as to remove hair and skin particles therefrom as the razor is moved in a natural side-to-side motion. Therefore, with the brush disclosed in applicant's prior application, it was possible to selectively secure the brush to a sink or tub in spaced relationship to the faucet and insure that the orientation of the wiping plane defined by the free end of the bristles was retained in a specific angular relationship to the surface of the sink or tub.
The advent of modern twin blade razors has significantly increased the difficulty associated with cleaning shavings and shaving cream from the gap between adjacent cutting blade edges of such razors. Razors of this type are sold under the trademarks TWIN-TRAC, ATRA, TRAC TWO, and ULTREX. These razors are characterized having two short, parallel, closely spaced blades which have two elongated edges. The edges of the two adjacent blades are staggered so that the second blade will cut a hair shaft as the first blade extends the hair shaft from the follicle. Shavings and shaving cream can become trapped between the blades and are difficult to dislodge. It is well known to those who use such razors that merely running the razor head under hot water may not be sufficient to thoroughly clean the blades. Thus, individuals typically tap the razor head against the side of the sink or wash basin to dislodge cuttings from between the blades while alternating running the razor head under a steady flow of water.
Unfortunately, the removal of hair cuttings, soap or cream and the like from between the cutting blades of a razor by utilizing running water and the tapping of the head against the sink or basin is rarely completely successful and the build-up of such material will result in reducing the cutting efficiency and cutting comfort of the razor blade. Therefore, most disposable razors are disposed of as the blades become clogged, well in advance of the useful cutting effectiveness of the cutting blades themselves. Also, the use of a continuous water flow to clean razors is a waste of water resources as well as energy resources.
Men and women who use single or twin blade razors, depending on their shaving habits, may use approximately two to three gallons of hot water in attempting to clean a razor while shaving. Electric and natural gas rates have risen sharply over the last few years necessitating conservation. Also, sources of water supply are becoming increasing more limited thus necessitating the need to take effective measures to promote the efficient use of water without waste. Although brushes of various shapes and sizes have been proposed, designed and manufactured over the years, most brushes have not been designed to facilitate the cleaning of the area of a safety razor adjacent or along the blades. The use of various conventional hand held brushes will not permit an effective cleaning of the cutting blades of conventional safety razors. This is in part due to the fact that the orientation of the bristle elements in a hand held brush will change depending upon the motion of the brush relative to the cutting blades of the razor. Unless the bristles are drawn across the cutting blades of the razor in parallel relationship to the cutting blades, the cutting blades will actually work to sever portions of the bristle element thereby further clogging the area between the cutting blades or between the blade and the support head of the razor. Not only will such a technique result in the clogging of the area of the cutting blades of the razor but the cutting of bristle elements will further reduce the cutting effectiveness of the blades. An additional factor associated with the use of any hand held brush for cleaning the blades of a safety razor is that if the brush element is brought into close proximity with the cutting edge of the razor, there is a significant chance or risk that the individual may accidently cut themselves as the razor is moved relative to the brush or visa versa.
Although there have been proposed numerous types of brushes which are designed to be fixedly mounted to a support surface so as to retain the bristle elements of the brush in a given orientation with respect to the support surface, most such cleaning brushes have not been designed for use in orienting the bristle elements so as to be substantially parallel to the blades of a razor so that the bristle elements will pass in parallel relationship with respect to the cutting blades to remove particles of hair and other material therefrom
Although applicant's prior application discloses brush elements which are specifically designed to be fixedly secured to a support surface in such a manner that the bristle elements are oriented so as to be in parallel relationship to the cutting blades of a razor when the razor is moved naturally in a side-to-side motion, there are limitations with respect to the orientation of the brush elements which will not facilitate the use of such brushes when an individual is standing in a shower or taking a bath. For instance, many individuals and especially women who shave while taking a bath or in a shower are generally not standing in a relationship to a sink or basin in such a manner that the orientation presented by the wiping plane of the bristle elements of applicant's prior application would be in proper orientation for effective cleaning of the blades of a razor. Further, the use of a safety razor in a shower or tub presents another problem with regard to the safe placement or storage of the razor when the razor is not in use. This problem is generally not associated with the placement of a safety razor adjacent the sink where the razor may be set aside without fear of the razor blades being accidentally contacted when the razor is not in use. However, in a shower or tub, the razor may slide from the side of the tub or shower wall and be displaced along the floor of the shower or tub in such a position that the razor blades would be oriented in an unsafe manner upwardly from the surface of the tub or shower thereby creating a definite hazard.